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So do you think you’re funny? Well Wisecracking Comedy is looking for new and upcoming comedians that we can grow with.

We have shows scheduled in Albert Lea, and are planning some in Mankato this is an effort to provide low cost quality entertainment the whole family can enjoy. We are focused on smaller towns because the choices for entertainment are more limited, but we think good clean comedy can go everywhere.

There are many good clean comedians now but not enough venues, and hiring established names is hard to do in smaller towns where the value of the name recognition is less and paying them what they are worth while keeping the ticket price is hard to do.

In time as the love of stand up comedy and other quality live shows grows in these markets we will be able to expand our offerings but as they say in baseball this is a building year.

So for that reason we are looking to find and hire new comedians and help you build your brand.

We are a small entertainment company based in Albert Lea who is dedicated to bring quality family entertainment to small and midsized cities around Minnesota, Iowa, and soon as we can, everywhere else!

Originally I set out to create a radio brand to offer comedy challenges on local radio stations along with other original programming over time including radio dramas among other things.

A small media company without a lot of money has a hard time getting noticed, so I looked at several options including online radio. The problem was where to start, starting a website is easy but getting people there is not as easy. So I decided I needed to work with local radio stations, and with most stations it is hard to get an unproven show on the air. I decided buying time and selling ads was the way to go and after much searching I found a station willing to give me a shot, that station was KBEW 98.1 FM a Country music station in Blue Earth Minnesota, about 30 miles from Albert Lea.

Northbridge Mall in Albert Lea allowed me use of a space in their mall for the show, but finding people brave enough to enter a radio comedy competition was not easy, nor was finding sponsors.

About 2 weeks prior to the show I knew it was not going to work, I only had 1 sponsor and 2 contestants. I made a call to Minneapolis based comedian Joey ILO who I knew a little through my job at KKMS Radio where he had done a clean comedy event for them and had been interviewed on KKMS Live and other shows on the station.

Joey excepted doing the show and brought some of his comedian friends with, and it was a great show! He not only saved me at the last minute, he also helped guide me to the fact that there is a market for clean comedians and that putting on professional shows and charging a ticket price may be the way to go. AND HE WAS RIGHT!

I again put on a show this time in Mankato a city with double the population of Albert Lea and more of a regional center, but it was not enough to build a bigger audience. So again I looked to how I can build this family entertainment company, so I decided going back to Albert Lea was the best avenue.

I am now planning to do a second show at Northbridge Mall this time around I will charge a $7 ticket price and feature a new comedy troop I am working to form. I want to help build up new talent, and provide an alternative option for family fun in small towns. In time I hope to develop a farm system of family friendly comedians and to promote other quality shows.

As for our name, in 1997 when I created the brand it was to be a radio network offering stand up comedy and other funny shows 24/7 and it was called simply Wisecracking Radio later as it developed into a radio show it was known as the Wisecracking Radio Comedy Challenge. After the February 29th event I changed focus and called the company Wisecracking Entertainment, then Wisecracking Family Entertainment.

Today I have opted for a shorter simpler name to reflect our core mission, hence:

Hello I’m Brian Link founder of Wisecracking Comedy and I would like to welcome you to our new website, or at least our new design using wordpress. The posts below serve two purposes, 1 they get out some of our early information again for search purposes, and it is a test of the new set up.

Over time we will be tweaking the look and feel of this site and adding new information so check back!

AFTER THE FEB 29TH EVENT WE HAVE LOOKED AT CHANGING FOCUS FROM RADIO TO PUTTING ON LIVE COMEDY SHOWS.

I feel a market exists to pay a comedian to perform and then charge a ticket price that is low enough for the family to afford. We plan to keep with a family friendly model and provide quality entertainment options to small and under served markets.

Down the road again I will look to build up a radio comedy challenge, but first I must gain brand value in the comedy business.

Our first comedy event is planned for October 2012 in Southern Minnesota details will follow on this page.